INFORMATION FOR
Starting in August 2025, Interlibrary Loan and Article Copy requests can now be submitted directly through our library catalog on our homepage (https://www.wpunj.edu/library)! The short video below will walk you through the simple steps to search for and request materials from other libraries. If you have questions, reach out to either the Reference Desk (refdesk@wpunj.edu or 973-720-2116) or Interlibrary Loan (illweb@wpunj.edu or 973-720-2114) for assistance.
The purpose of the Interlibrary Loan (ILL) service is to obtain, whenever possible, materials not available in the William Paterson University (WPUNJ) Cheng Library collections for the educational and research needs of the University community. Loans are for temporary, short term access to materials needed for scholarly work of an individual. Materials needed for recreational use should be requested via the individual’s local public library.
Commonly requested materials include, but are not limited to, books, book chapters, journal articles, documents, and audio-visual materials. The Interlibrary Loan (ILL) service obtains materials from other libraries in the United States and throughout the world.
All currently enrolled WPUNJ undergraduate and graduate students, full-time faculty or staff, adjunct faculty, and emeritus faculty are eligible to borrow materials free of charge.
Except in times of high demand when a temporary limit may be instituted, there is no limit on the number of requests for faculty/staff, emeritus faculty, currently employed adjunct faculty, and graduate students. Generally, there is a limit of ten (10) items in-process at one time for undergraduate students and retired faculty and staff.
There is no interlibrary loan service currently offered to alumni. Alumni are encouraged to request materials through their local public libraries.
The Cheng Library adheres to the ALA ILL Code; the New Jersey State ILL Code; CONTU guidelines, observes the provisions of the "fair use clause"; and pays copyright fees to the Copyright Clearance Center for copies above fair use. The library will not process article requests for any single patron that would comprise the entire issue of a journal which is a violation of the principles of interlibrary loan. The library may, at its discretion, purchase an issue within cost constraints for the use of a patron. This issue becomes the property of the patron.
Many of our databases include citations for doctoral dissertations, the research theses required of all Ph.D. degree candidates. The citations will often indicate an item is a dissertation or identify the source of the record as Dissertation Abstracts International, the major index for dissertations. It is important to understand that most dissertations are owned only by libraries at the universities where they were produced. Although in principle these items can be borrowed through ILL, our experience has been that:
The Open Access Theses and Dissertations collection provides links over 7.4 million theses and dissertations, of which many offer full-text access. Additionally, the Library's ProQuest databases can also be searched for full-text access to discipline-specific titles.
Many requestable items will give you an estimate of how long it will take for an item to be delivered, as well as how long you can keep it.
For books or audiovisual items that are easy-to-locate, it will normally take 5 business days to have the item shipped to the Cheng Library. For more difficult titles, it may take longer, especially if materials are requested from foreign countries or specialized libraries.
For articles, the library is usually able to fill most requests within 24-48 hours.
Log in to Your Account on the library catalog (in the upper right corner). Here you'll find details on all of your requests, including the status of outstanding items. For digital items, you may also see a Download option, but please be aware that these links will eventually expire.
For assistance, call the Reference Desk (973-720-2116), e-mail Interlibrary Loan (illweb@wpunj.edu), or Chat with a Librarian on the Library homepage.
The loan period is determined by the lending institution and is usually between 90 to 112 days. Some items, such as course texts, may have more limited loan periods, therefore requests for these types of items is not encouraged.
Lending libraries discourage renewals on ILL materials, but if a renewal is necessary, a request should be made through the Document Delivery Department at least two days before the due date. If you find that you need to keep ILL material for longer than the loan period given, you may request an extension of the due date. The ILL office will then ask the lending library to extend the due date. When requesting a renewal, you should provide the ILL office with the following information: your name, the IL# which appears on the band attached to your ILL item, the title of the item, and the time period for which you wish to keep the item. You may request a renewal by e-mail to illweb@wpunj.edu or by phone at 973-720-2114.
